Screening for diabetes mellitus in learners residing in the Belhar, Delft and Mfuleni communities of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Background Historically, children and adolescents have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus and it was thought that type 2 diabetes mellitus occurred only in adults. There are increasing reports of type 2 diabetes in children globally, with some as young as eight years old being affected. The average age of diagnosis in this group was 13 years. This has been attributed to the “epidemic” of overweight and obesity currently being observed in both developed and developing countries. There is a paucity of data on the incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children compared with that for adults. Most studies reported to date have been clinic based. The few population-based studies that were carried out between 1965 and 1995 have shown a several-fold increase in the incidence rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in South Africa has risen dramatically in the past two decades, with the highest prevalence rates being found in the adult population of Indian origin, followed by the African, Coloured (mixed ancestry) and White population groups.Objectives This study was undertaken to screen 10 to 16-year-old learners residing in three urban areas of Cape Town, South Africa for diabetes mellitus.Methods Fasting and casual blood glucose levels were measured using a commercial glucometer in 338 randomly selected schoolchildren aged from 10 to 16 from the urban communities of Belhar, Delft and Mfuleni in Cape Town. Early morning urine samples were also tested for the presence of glucose using dipsticks. Anthropometric measurements were carried out using standard procedures. A structured questionnaire on physical activity, demographics and diabetic status was administered to all participants. Overweight and obesity were estimated according to The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria.Results A total of 15.7% of the learners were overweight and 6.2% were obese; 11.5% of the learners had a first-degree relative with diabetes and 29.9% had a second-degree relative with diabetes. Mean fasting and casual glucose values of 4.26 ± 0.63 mmol/l and 4.58 ± 0.79 mmol/l (pConclusionThese results suggest that population screening of children may not be viable, despite the increase in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus amongst various racial groups in South Africa.For full text, click here: SA Fam Pract 2006;48(6):16-16

The Detection of a 3.5-h Period in the Classical Nova Velorum 1999 (V382 Vel) and the Long Term Behavior of the Nova Light Curve

We present CCD photometry, light curve and time series analysis of the classical nova V382 Vel (N Vel 1999). The source was observed for 2 nights in 2000, 21 nights in 2001 and 7 nights in 2002 using clear filters. We report the detection of a distinct period in the light curve of the nova P=0.146126(18) d (3.5 h). The period is evident in all data sets, and we interpret it as the binary period of the system. We also measured an increase in the amplitude modulation of the optical light (in magnitude) by more than 55% from 2000 to 2001 and about 64% from 2001 to 2002. The pulse profiles in 2001 show deviations from a pure sinusoidal shape which progressively become more sinusoidal by 2002. The main cause of the variations in 2001 and 2002 can be explained with the occultation of the accretion disk by the secondary star. We interpret the observed deviations from a pure sinusoidal shape as additional flux resulting from the aspect variations of the irradiated face of the secondary star.Comment: 16 pages and 4 figures, accepted as it stands to be published in the Astronomical Journal (AJ

Inbreeding Avoidance Influences the Viability of Reintroduced Populations of African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus)

The conservation of many fragmented and small populations of endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) relies on understanding the natural processes affecting genetic diversity, demographics, and future viability. We used extensive behavioural, life-history, and genetic data from reintroduced African wild dogs in South Africa to (1) test for inbreeding avoidance via mate selection and (2) model the potential consequences of avoidance on population persistence. Results suggested that wild dogs avoided mating with kin. Inbreeding was rare in natal packs, after reproductive vacancies, and between sibling cohorts (observed on 0.8%, 12.5%, and 3.8% of occasions, respectively). Only one of the six (16.7%) breeding pairs confirmed as third-order (or closer) kin consisted of animals that were familiar with each other, while no other paired individuals had any prior association. Computer-simulated populations allowed to experience inbreeding had only a 1.6% probability of extinction within 100 years, whereas all populations avoiding incestuous matings became extinct due to the absence of unrelated mates. Populations that avoided mating with first-order relatives became extinct after 63 years compared with persistence of 37 and 19 years for those also prevented from second-order and third-order matings, respectively. Although stronger inbreeding avoidance maintains significantly more genetic variation, our results demonstrate the potentially severe demographic impacts of reduced numbers of suitable mates on the future viability of small, isolated wild dog populations. The rapid rate of population decline suggests that extinction may occur before inbreeding depression is observed

Drawing the Line: How African, Caribbean and White British Women Live Out Psychologically Abusive Experiences

The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Violence Against Women, 19 (9):1104-32, Sept 2013 by SAGE Publications Ltd, All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2013. The online version of this article can be found at: http://vaw.sagepub.com/content/19/9/110

Geriatric pharmacotherapy : optimisation through integrated approach in the hospital setting

Since older patients are more vulnerable to adverse drug-related events, there is a need to ensure appropriate prescribing in these patients in order to prevent misuse, overuse and underuse of drugs. Different tools and strategies have been developed to reduce inappropriate prescribing; the available measures can be divided into medication assessment tools, and specific interventions to reduce inappropriate prescribing. Implicit criteria of inappropriate prescribing focus on appropriate dosing, search for drug-drug interactions, and increase adherence. Explicit criteria are consensus-based standards focusing on drugs and diseases and include lists of drugs to avoid in general or lists combining drugs with clinical data. These criteria take into consideration differences between patients, and stand for a medication review, by using a systematic approach. Different types of interventions exist in order to reduce inappropriate prescribing in older patients, such as: educational interventions, computerized decision support systems, pharmacist-based interventions, and geriatric assessment. The effects of these interventions have been studied, sometimes in a multifaceted approach combining different techniques, and all types seem to have positive effects on appropriateness of prescribing. Interdisciplinary teamwork within the integrative pharmaceutical care is important for improving of outcomes and safety of drug therapy. The pharmaceutical care process consists offour steps, which are cyclic for an individual patient. These steps are pharmaceutical anamnesis, medication review, design and follow-up of a pharmaceutical care plan. A standardized approach is necessary for the adequate detection and evaluation of drug-related problems. Furthermore, it is clear that drug therapy should be reviewed in-depth, by having full access to medical records, laboratory values and nursing notes. Although clinical pharmacists perform the pharmaceutical care process to manage the patient’s drug therapy in every day clinical practice, the physician takes the ultimate responsibility for the care of the patient in close collaboration with nurses

Resource Wars and Conflict Ivory: The Impact of Civil Conflict on Elephants in the Democratic Republic of Congo - The Case of the Okapi Reserve

Human conflict generally has substantial negative impacts on wildlife and conservation. The recent civil war (1995-2006) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) resulted in a significant loss of wildlife, including elephants, due to institutional collapse, lawlessness and unbridled exploitation of natural resources such as minerals, wood, ivory and bushmeat. We used data from distance sampling surveys conducted before and after the war in a protected forest, the Okapi Faunal Reserve, to document changes in elephant abundance and distribution. We employed Generalized Additive Models to relate changes in elephant distribution to human and environmental factors. Populations declined by nearly fifty percent coinciding with a major increase in elephant poaching as indicated by reports of ivory trade during the war. Our results suggest that humans influenced elephant distribution far more than habitat, both before and after the war, but post-war models explained more of the variation. Elephant abundance declined more, closer to the park boundary and to areas of intense human activity. After the war, elephant densities were relatively higher in the centre of the park where they were better protected, suggesting that this area may have acted as a refuge. In other sites in Eastern DRC, where no protection was provided, elephants were even more decimated. Post-war dynamics, such as weakened institutions, human movements and availability of weapons, continue to affect elephants. Survival of remaining populations and recovery will be determined by these persistent factors and by new threats associated with growing human populations and exploitation of natural resources. Prioritizing wildlife protection, curbing illegal trade in ivory and bushmeat, and strengthening national institutions and organizations in charge of conservation will be crucial to counter these threats

Adsorption of peroxidase from Raphanus sativus L onto alginateguar gum matrix: Kinetic, equilibrium and thermodynamic analysis

This work explores the kinetics, equilibrium and thermodynamics of peroxidase adsorption onto spherical guar gumalginate matrices. The effect of contact time, solution pH, initial protein concentration and temperature was studied in batch experiments. The results show that peroxidase adsorption increased with rising contact time and initial enzyme concentration, and was higher at pH 4.0. The kinetic processes can be predicted by both the pseudo-first-order rate kinetics and the pseudo-second-order rate kinetics. Equilibrium adsorption data were analyzed with different isotherm models. The experimental data fitted to the Freundlich model in agreement with the low energy activation, demonstrating the presence of a high physical and unspecific interaction between the enzyme and the matrix.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: FonCyT, Projects PICT 2013–271 – Argentina Innovator 2020 and Biotechnologies to Valorize the regional food Biodiversity in Latin America – Marie Curie Actions – IRSES Project number 611493 – European Community.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Academic and Psychosocial Outcomes of a Physical Activity Program with Fourth Graders: Variations Among Schools in Six Urban School Districts

The purpose was to examine academic achievement, school attachment, and peer acceptance before and after a comprehensive school-based physical activity program (CSPAP) with 378 children in 12 fourth-grade classrooms across six schools in primarily low-socioeconomic status (SES) districts of a large Midwestern metropolitan area. Both personal and normative rate of academic achievement improvement metrics were used. Overall, all students showed personal math and reading growth. However, effects varied by types of achievement indicator and comparison group, revealing noteworthy school-level demographic and implementation characteristics that are inextricably intertwined with program effectiveness and student growth. Implications, especially for minimizing generalizations, are significant